Early Man

LANDON **1/2
I've always enjoyed Aardman Studio's animation and style.  Stop-motion animation and British wit are a charming combination.  While "Early Man" isn't quite as good as the likes of "Chicken Run" or Wallace & Gromit," it's still a decent addition to their library.  Like I said, the animation is awesome and fun to watch, it's irresistibly charming and witty, and there's a cast of likable characters here.  My only real gripe with this film is the plot.  What seems like a unique movie about cavemen vs. bronze-men turns out to be a movie about....soccer?  Yes, that's right.  At the end of the day, this is a soccer movie disguised as a caveman film.  It's surprising, and not really in the best way.  It's cliched and rather disappointing in that sense.  Again though, this is still a decent film.  There's plenty to still enjoy about it.  Just don't expect to come out loving it.

LOGAN **1/2

BANGERANG SCORE: **1/2

Black Panther

CHASE ***
In "Captain America: Civil War," we were introduced to two new characters that made me want to see their individual movies.  While I don't think it's as good as "Spiderman: Homecoming," "Black Panther" it pretty solid.  Taking place in the fictional land of Wakanda, T'Challa (the Black Panther) becomes the new king while some villains arise that could potentially tear the country apart and it is up to Black Panther and his crew to stop them.  The best part of the movie is the dichotomy between the main hero and the main villain.  T'Challa is a cool character that has a strong sense of dignity and heroism that make him very likable.  The main villain reminds me of someone that would come out of a Greek tragedy.  He's despicable, but I understand where he's coming from, making him more sympathetic than most villains.  The movie is also one of the more unique superhero films because it is not just about the hero, but features the people of Wakanda in a significant way, which makes it fresh.  However, the movie doesn't have the same kind of polish that other great Marvel movies have had.  Some of the humor is lacking and even some action scenes felt a little clunky.  It also felt a little slow in the beginning, but it did pick up and ultimately became a very enjoyable movie.  This is a cool movie and a good one to watch.

LOGAN ***

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

Maze Runner: The Death Cure

LANDON **1/2
I've enjoyed all of the "Maze Runner" films just fine.  And while this one is still enjoyable, it's the most frustrating film in the series.  On the one hand, all of the great characters are still great here.  The set pieces are terrific.  The overall visual imagery here is very pleasant to watch.  And it's fairly entertaining.  However, it falls pretty flat on the narrative scale.  The whole thing is just one giant climax that refuses to conclude.  It drags on.  It doesn't help that it tends to be a bit over-dramatic at times.  If you like the other "Maze Runner" films, you'll probably like this one as well.  If you've never been a big fan, than you won't be a big fan of this one either.

Paddington 2

LANDON **1/2
A lot of the same qualities that are apparent in the first "Paddington" film are found here as well.  It features the same lovable cast of characters, it's contagiously charming and it's really funny.  "Paddington 2" offers all of this packaged in a worthwhile film for the whole family.  My biggest gripe that keeps it from a three star rating is it's emotional core, a similar flaw from the original film.  While it attempts to tug at your heart strings, it never really quite earns that merit.  Especially since it's so scattered throughout the film instead of being the overarching drive of the story.  But if you're looking for a decent, wholesome, family film, look no further than this pleasant film.

Phantom Thread

LOGAN **1/2
Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel-Day Lewis collaborate together again to make "Phantom Thread."  This best picture contender tells the story about a dress-maker who meets someone that he thinks is perfect for trying on the dresses he makes, and the two form a relationship.  Well, sort of.  The narrative felt a little off at times, with the first thirty minutes of the movie being unbearably boring, and the connection between the two feels off at times.  That being said, most of the actors do well, in particular Daniel-Day Lewis, who is always terrific in everything he's in.  The music is very nice and creative and the production values are incredibly impressive.  It is a different kind of movie, and a slow one at that.  It's not exactly my cup of tea.

CHASE **1/2

BANGERANG SCORE: **1/2

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

LANDON ***
This one surprised me.  From a distance, it appears to be a cheap-knockoff of the original film, but upon viewing, it turns out that's a pretty fun film.  Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black all work really well off of each other, convincingly portraying teenagers stuck inside a video game.  It's funny, exciting, and, again, fun.  I give this one a solid recommendation.

LOGAN **1/2
To keep this one brief, I was only mildly entertained.  It was a better film than I originally anticipated, and it is well-casted, but I simply didn't find the movie that funny, and upon working it out in my head, I think they could've easily done this movie without the title "Jumanji."  I didn't like it as much as Landon did, but it is still a good movie when you look past the absurd concept.

BANGERANG SCORE: **1/2

The Greatest Showman

LANDON **
I imagine my reaction to this film is pretty similar to the reaction most people had with P.T. Barnum's own circus show.  I was a bit mixed.  It's certainly a pretty interesting spectacle.  Barnum's life is glamorized in a light-hearted musical.  It's actually an idea I somewhat appreciate, but it doesn't work very well.  On the one hand, the music and songs are all great.  They're written by the same writers of the "La La Land" soundtrack, so you know you have something good here.  It's a pretty remarkable soundtrack.  Everyone does a good job acting here as well, especially the always infectious Hugh Jackman.  The story on the other hand, brings the film down a few notches.  There's a couple of splitting narratives that are all clumped together into one form of entertainment.  The best word I can think of to describe it is "messy."  And while there's a good message by the end of it, it drags a lot of clutter to get to that point.  Plus, it's really historically inaccurate, which normally wouldn't bother me if there were a few things that weren't accurate, but there's a lot of inaccuracies.  Want my diagnosis?  Skip the movie and buy the soundtrack.  Great soundtrack, not a great movie.

LOGAN **1/2

BANGERANG SCORE: **